LOS ALTOS, Calif., March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Univfy Inc., a pioneer in predictive technology for health care and fertility, today announced the publication of new research findings in Fertility & Sterility, validating the company's Univfy PreIVF prediction tests as 1,000-times (likelihood scale) more powerful in predicting the probability of live birth in the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment compared to estimates based on a woman's age.

The peer-reviewed paper, "Personalized Prediction of First-Cycle In Vitro Fertilization Success," shows that 86 percent of cases analyzed had significantly different probabilities of success compared to age-based estimates, and nearly 60 percent had a higher probability of live birth based on an analysis of the patients' complete reproductive profiles. In fact, using the Univfy PreIVF prediction model, 42 percent of patients were found to have a personalized predicted success rate greater than 45 percent, while the age-control model could not differentiate these patients from others in the population.

Proven Accuracy Based on Personalized Prediction

The study is the first to validate that patient data available prior to starting IVF can be used to predict a patient's chance of success to help her decide whether to pursue a first IVF treatment. The Univfy PreIVF test is an online data test that analyzes each individual's fertility profile (including age, Body Mass Index (BMI), Day 3 FSH, semen analysis, and prior fertility and medical history) and compares it against data from thousands of IVF cycles to instantly deliver personalized prognosis of IVF success. The retrospective validation study analyzed anonymized IVF data aggregated from more than 13,000 first IVF cycles from three university-affiliated outpatient IVF clinics in the U.S., Canada and Spain.

Personalized Prediction of IVF Success Helps Patients

"Our research findings allow us to use known clinical predictors with much greater predictive power to support patients who are considering IVF for the first time," said Mylene Yao, M.D., CEO and co-founder of Univfy. "Not knowing their personal chances of IVF success may cause many women to be missing out on a treatment that could be highly effective for them."

While a higher likelihood of success is welcome news for many couples, the study also suggests predictions based on age alone, or age plus a few factors, could falsely reassure a small percentage of patients. Based on the predicted probability, the Univfy PreIVF test also reports the percentile of a patient's chances of success, which provides a more balanced perspective to the patient and her doctor.

"An accurate prognosis is equally important for those whose likelihood of success is quite high and for those whose chances are much lower than age-based predictions," Dr. James Grifo, Program Director of the New York University Fertility Center and Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the NYU School of Medicine. "Predicting the chances of IVF success for each patient may also support physicians in refining clinical protocols to improve care."

"More accurate personalized prognoses of potential live birth outcomes with IVF can guide both patients and their physicians with treatment decisions," said Dr. Gedis Grudzinskas, Consultant in Infertility and Gynaecology at 92 Harley Street, London Bridge Hospital, Princess Grace Hospital and Woodlands Health Centre, London, UK, and Editor of Reproductive Biomedicine Online, an international journal devoted to biomedical research on human reproduction.

Enhancing Care through Predictive Analytics

Previously, advanced predictive modeling that is rigorously validated was not accessible to patients and the broader medical community. Univfy has integrated these research processes with proprietary, analytics-powered platforms to deliver scientifically validated predictive information via a user-friendly interface to patients and providers. The Univfy platforms can also serve point-of-care prognostics or administrative needs in other areas of healthcare, outside of reproductive medicine.

Univfy offers complimentary and confidential analysis to any clinic interested in learning how closely their patient-specific success rates compare to the Univfy PreIVF model. This analysis is feasible even for small or mid-size fertility clinics.

Based on its proven model, Univfy offers two prediction tests for consumers: the Univfy PreIVF for women considering IVF for the first time, and the Univfy PredictIVF for women who have had IVF and are considering another IVF treatment. Both are online tests that patients complete in the privacy of their own home by simply entering their own individual health data. The tests are also available for use in physician offices via Univfy's clinic platform through a business-to-business model. Semi-customization of prediction tests is also available upon request.

The complete study results will be available electronically on March 21, 2013 at Science Direct and Fertility and Sterility at www.fertstert.org, and will also be available in the June, 2013 issue of Fertility and Sterility. For more information about Univfy's IVF prediction tests, visit www.univfy.com.

About Univfy Inc.: Los Altos, Calif.-based Univfy Inc. is a privately-held company specializing in the development and integration of powerful statistics and computation with an innovative web platform to bring evidence-based, personalized, prediction of treatment success to fertility patients and their health care providers. The company was founded in 2009 by former Stanford University faculty Mylene Yao,M.D. and Stanford University professor Wing Wong, Ph.D. For more information, visit www.univfy.com.